Combination lock



Nov. 10, 1953 H. c. BEHRENS COMBINATION LOCK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 2, 1950 m w m m E B5 MC M e M m w H 0 A TTORNEYS of the spindle having an operating notch in a portion immediately adjacent the tumblers and having a complete cylindrical portion beyond the notched portion.

The objects of the present invention or discovery, from a broad standpoint, include the provision of an improved combination lock in which the direct performance of the throwing of the bolt is not dependent upon the engagement of the bolt or the engagement of the throwing or operating lever with the tumblers, and in which the throwing of the bolt is governed only by the engagement of the throwing or operating lever with the spindle or driving cam.

The objects of the present invention or discovery more particularly include the provision of an improved combination lock of the type set forth in my said application for U. S. Letters Patent, Serial No. 130,722, in which neither the spindle may be pushed inwardly a substantial distance, nor the cam follower tongue on the upper arm of the operating lever may drop into the operating cam notch, nor the bolt may be retracted, until the combination has been set.

Further objects of the present invention or discovery include the provision of such an improved combination lock in which the improvements may be effected by the addition of or modification of a limited number of parts of the combination lock set forth in said Abbott and Miller U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,956,304, and which is thus adapted for economical manufacture without the necessity of manufacturing an entirely new set of parts for the improved lock.

The foregoing and other objects are attained by the combination lock, construction, improvements, parts, combinations, and sub-combinations which comprise the present invention or discovery, the nature of which is set forth in the following general statement, and preferred embodiments of which together with their mode of use are set forth by way of example in the following description, and which are particularly and distinctly pointed out and set forth in the appended claims forming part hereof.

The nature of the improved combination lock of the present invention or discovery may be stated in general terms as including, in combination with other usual parts of a combination lock such as set forth in said Abbott and Miller U. S. Letters Patent No. 1,956,304, the improvements set forth in my said application for U. S. Letters Patent, Serial No. 130,722, and in which improved intermediate control means are interposed and operative between the spindle cam,

the tumblers, and the bolt, whereby after the bolt has been extended to the locked position and the combination scrambled, it is necessary to set the combination before the spindle may be pushed inwardly, and whereby inward movement of the spindle serves to operate the intermediate control means to permit unlocking retraction of the bolt.

The intermediate control means include flanges or tongues extending between the tumblers and the bolt, and the construction and arrangement of the intermediate control means is such that the flange extending towards the tumblers is immovable towards the tumblers until the pin on the spindle or driving cam is out of engagement with the adjacent tumbler, thereby preventing rotation of the tumblers against the flange extending towards them.

The construction and arrangement of the intermediate control means is furthermore such that the bolt cannot be moved towards or forced against the flange extending towards it until the combination is correctly dialed. The bolt is held in the extended position by contact of the operating lever against the case and by contact of the operating lever cam follower tongue against the completely cylindrical portion of the spindle or driving cam.

The construction and arrangement of the improved combination look as thus set forth in general terms is furthermore such that there is no direct connection between the bolt or the operating lever and the tumblers.

By way of example, preferred embodiments of the combination lock of the present improvements and parts thereof are illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary rear elevational view of one embodiment of the improved combination lock looking towards the rear face of the door on which the lock is mounted and with the cover plate of the lock removed, and showing the parts of the lock in their relative positions when the bolt is in its fully extended locking position, and with the tumbler wheels having their notches aligned after setting of the combination, and the cam follower tongue of the operating lever seated on the cylindrical portion of the spindle cam, and with the operating notch of the spindle cam ready to receive the cam follower tongue;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view thereof as on line 2-2, Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing the parts of the lock in their relative positions when the bolt is in its fully extended locking position, and with the tumbler wheels having their notches aligned after setting of the combination, and after the spindle has been pushed in and the cam follower tongue of the operating lever has dropped into the operating notch, and after the bolt stopping and releasing cam has been actuated by the pushing in of the spindle cam to permit retraction of the bolt;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view as on line |-l, Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a transverse sectional view thereof as on line 5-5, Fig. 3;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary front elevational view looking towards the front face of the door, and illustrating the dial and knob, and the dial ring of the lock;

Fig. 7 is an enlarged view similar to Figs. 1 and 3 showing the parts of the lock after the bolt has been retracted, and illustrating details of the drive between the cam and the adjacent tumbler wheel;

Fig. 8 is an enlarged sectional view as on line 8-8, Fig. 2;

Fig. 9 is an oblique view showing the bolt stopping and releasing cam;

Fig. 10 is a detached side elevational view of one of the tumbler wheels.

Fig. 11 is a detached elevational view of the pin face of the tumbler wheel of Fig. 10; and

Fig. 12 is a detached elevational view of the lug face of the tumbler wheel of Figs. 10 and 11.

Similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout the drawings.

One embodiment of the improved combination lock is indicated generally at It, and includes a case II which is mounted on the inner face l2 of a door is, which may be the door of a safe, and the lock may be used for stopping boltwork, not shown, in a usual manner. The lock from the spindle and includes a stub shaft 52 'whose forward end 52| is secured as by riveting to the base wall I of the lock case M. The shaft 52 extends rearwardly from the base wall I5 and is located between the tumbler wheels and the rear end of the bolt 35, and below the axes of the spindle l6 and the lever pivot screw 39.

The intermediate control means furthermore includes a spindle actuated stop cam indicated generally by 53 and which includes a sleeve '54 having a bore which slidably and rotatably fits on the shaft 52. As best shown in Fig. 5, the front end of the sleeve 54 has formed therein a longitudinally extending cam slot 56 having a front straight portion 51 circumfertlally offset from a rear straight portion 58 and connected therewith by an angled P rtion 59. An actuating pin 66 extends radially outwardly from the shaft 52 through the slot 56.

The stop cam 53 furthermore includes intermediate its ends a stop arm 6| extending radlally outwardly from one side of the sleeve 54. At the rear end of the stop cam 53 an actuating arm '62 extends outwardly from the sleeve 54, and the arms 6| and 62 lie in planes passing through the longitudinal axis of the sleeve 54 and which are angularly displaced from each other.

At the outer end of the stop arm 6| there ex- "tends from opposite sides of the arm 6| flanges '63 and 64 which are at right angles to the arm 6| and as shown are coplaner. At the outer end of the actuating arm 62 there extend a pair of arcuate segmental guide members 65 and 66 which are parallel with each other and at right :angles to the longitudinal axis of the sleeve 54. The segment guide members 65 and 66 are spaced from each other in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the sleeve 54, a distance equal to the thickness of the cam head 230 which is located between the guide members 65 and 66 as best shown in Fig. 5. Details of construction of the stop cam 53 are clearly shown in Fig. 9, which is a detached view of the cam 53.

In the assembled look I, the stop arm 6| extends upwardly from the sleeve 54 between the inner end of the bolt 35 and the tumbler wheels 22, 22', and 22", the flange 63 extending towards the tumbler wheels and the flange 64 extending towards the inner end of the bolt.

The actuating arm 62 extends from the sleeve 54 towards the spindle cam head 23c, and the guide members 65 and 66 are always on opposite sides of the cam head 23c forming an out wardly opening U guideway for the cam head.

When the bolt 3'5 is extended to the lockin position as shown in Figs. 1 and 8, the cam follower tongue 36b on the operating arm 36a of the operating lever 36 is seated on the cylindrical rear end portion 239 of the cam 23, and the sloping outer end face 360 of the lever arm 36a is opposed by the complementary sloping face on a boss ||2 extending from one or more of the walls of the case M into the compartment thereof, as shown in Figs. 1 and 8, whereby retraction of the bolt is prevented independently of other parts of the lock.

The operating arm 38a having no fence, when the lock is being manipulated, there is no feel transmitted from the tumbler notches 31 through the knob to the fingers of the person manipulating the lock.

When the combination has been set also as shown in Figs. 1 and 8, the notches 31 are aligned with each other and with the bolt notch 35--|,

and the cam follower tongue 36b rests on a sector of the rear cylindrical portion 23g at the rear side of the lever operating notch 23a. The knob 9 is then pushed in towards the door l3 displacing the cam head 23c rearwardly so that the cam follower tongue 38b drops down into the notch 23a as shown in Fig. 2.

The pushing of the knob l9 inwardly and the displacement of the cam head 23c rearwardly simultaneously causes the cam head to push rearwardly against the segmental guide member 65 on the cam 53 and thus push the cam 53 rearwardly. During the rearward movement of the cam 53, the stationary actuating pin 60 extending radially from the shaft 52 operating in the came slot 56 causes rotation of the cam 53 so that the arms 6| and 62 move towards the tumblers so that the tumbler side tongue or flange 63 of the stop arm 6| enters the aligned tumbler notches 31 as shown in Fig. 3. In this position of the lock parts, the bolt side tongue or flange 64 of the stop arm 6| moves from the bolt stopping position shown in Fig. 1 to the position shown in Fig. 3 in which the flange 64 is aligned with the bolt notch 35|, thereby permitting retraction of the bolt to the unlocked position shown in Fig. 7 by rotation of the spindle l6 through turning the knob I9.

In the unlocked position shown in Fig. 7, the tumbler notches 31, the bolt notch 35|, and the stop arm flanges 63 and 64 are all aligned with each other as shown. It is noted that the flanges 63 and 64 may be radially spaced from each other on the sto arm 6| with an accomnodating different location of the bolt notch 3 --I.

It is also noted that unless the combination has been set as shown in Fig. 1, there can be substantially no longitudinal motion of the spindle, since such motion would be stopped by the abutment of the outer end of the tumbler side tongue or flange 63 against the cylindrical faces of the tumblers. Thus, the tongue 38b on the operating lever arm 38a is not permitted to drop into the notch 23a, in the present improved look It,

' until after the combination has been set, the

spindle pushed in, and the cam 53 rotated from the position shown in Figs. 1 and 8 to the position shown in Fig. 3.

It is also noted that when the spindle I6 is pushed rearwardly, from its outermost position, that there is first a straight longitudinal movement of the cam 53 on the pin 52 produced by the rear straight cam slot section or portion 56, and no rotary motion is imparted to the arms 6| 1 and 62 until the spindle pin |6-| is disengaged from the tumbler 22, the straight cam slot section or portion 58 being sufllciently long for this purpose, and thereby there is prevented any relative or simultaneou motion between flange 63 and the tumblers 22, 22, and 22", when the flange 63 is finally brought into contact or engagement with the tumblers by action of the angled throw section or portion 59 of the cam slot 55 in the cam 53.

If the cam slot 56 had only the angled portion or section 59, a manipulator might move the tumblers back and forth across the end of the flange 63, and thus feel out the location of the tumbler notches and the lock combination.

When the bolt 35 is returned to the extended locking position from the unlocked position shown in Fig. 7 by turning the knob I9 in the proper direction, after the tongue 36b has ridden out of the notch 23a and inward pressure of the operator has been released from the knob I3,

the outward movement of the spindle Ht due to the action of the spring 56 causes a reverse rotation of the cam- 53 and areturn of its parts to the-positions shown in Figs. 1 and 8.

The.- aetion oithespring 3&4 or spring in the operating arm- 3-8'-itsel f, orother-spring means, serves to urge the outer end of the operating arm 38a rearwardly so that after the bolt has been extended to the locking position and the tumblers are scrambled the cam follower tongue 38b rides on the cylindrical rear end portion 239 of the cam. 23

In. the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness, and understanding. Such Words. are. used for descriptive purposes herein and. are. intended to be broadly construed.

Moreover, the embodiments of the improved construction illustrated and described herein are by way of example, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the exact details of construction.

Having now described the invention or discovery, the construction, the operation, and use of preferred embodiments thereof, and the advantageous new and useful results obtained thereby; the new and useful constructions, and reasonable mechanical equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled in the art, are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In combination lock construction, a base wall, a tube extending from one side of the base wall, a spindle journalled and longitudinally slidable in the tube, one or more tumblers journalled on the tube, a dial knob on the spindle on the other side of the base wall, a cam on the spindle beyond the tube and the tumblers, the spindle cam including a head and the spindle cam head having a portion adjacent the tube and tumblers formed with an outwardly opening cam notch, the remaining peripheral sector of the notched portion of the spindle cam head being cylindrical and the portion of the spindle cam head beyond the notched portion being entirely cylindrical and merging with the cylindrical peripheral sector of the notched portion, the tumblers each being formed with an outwardly opening notch, drive means operative between the spindle cam and the adjacent tumbler and drive means operative between each adjacent pair of tumblers, a bolt mounted on the base wall for movement to and from an extended locking position, the bolt having an inner end adjacent the tumblers and the inner end of the bolt having a notch formed therein and opening towards the tumblers, an operating lever, a pivotal connection between the operating lever and the bolt, the operating lever including an upper arm extending above the spindle and having a cam follower tongue depending towards the spindle cam, the spindle cam head notch being arranged for alignment with the cam follower tongue in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the spindle when the combination is set, spring means operative to yieldingly maintain the spindle cam head against the opposite end of the tube when the bolt is in the extended locking position and during setting of the combination, and the cam tongue riding on the entirely cylindrical portion of the spindle cam head when the bolt is in the extended locking position and during setting of the combination, the cam tongue being arranged to drop into the spindle cam notch when the dial knob is pushed towards the base ell after setti f the combination and the spindle and the spin l camare moved so that the spindle camhead notch is beneath the cam tongue, spindle actuated intermediatestop means interposed and operative between the spindle cam and the tumblers and the bolt, and the intermediate stop means 'including an actuating member interflt- I tongue being located to be moved into the aligned notches of the tumblers when the combination is ting with the spindle cam head and movable thereby and a stop member located between the bolt and the tumblers, the stop memberbeing "movable by movements of th actuating memher, the stop member includingoppositely extending first and second tongues, the first tongue extending towards the tumblers, and the second tongue extending towards the bolt, the first the spindie cam head notch beneath the cam follower tongue and the second tongue being located to be then aligned with the bolt notch.

2. In combination lock construction as set forth in claim 1, and in which the intermediate stop means includes a cylindrical cam, means mounting the cylindrical cam for rotation about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the spindle, thecylindrical cam having a cam slot formed therein, and a cam follower pin extending from the mounting means into the cam slot, and the actuating member and the stop member each extending radially from the cylindrical cam.

3. In combination lock construction as set forth in claim 2, and in which the actuating member and the stop member are located in angled radial planes passing through the axis of rotation of the cylindrical cam.

4. In combination lock construction as set forth in claim 2, and in which the cylindrical cam, is a sleeve having a bore, and the mounting means is a stub shaft extending from the base wall through and fitting the sleeve bore, and the cam follower pin extends from the stub shaft.

5. In combination lock construction as set forth in claim 2, and in which the cam slot includes a straight portion and an angled portion connecting with each other, the straight portion being parallel with the cam axis, and the cam follower pin being located in the straight portion when the spindle cam is in its position closest to the adjacent tumbler, and the length of the straight portion of the cam slot being such that the drive means between the spindle cam and the adjacent tumbler is disengaged therefrom when the dial knob is pushed towards the base wall and before the angled portion of the cam slot is engaged by the cam follower pin.

6. In combination lock construction, a base, a bolt mounted on the base for translatory movement with respect to a first axis, a spindle mounted on the base for translatory and rotary movement with respect to a second axis in a plane at an angle to the first axis, a cam head on the spindle, the spindle cam head having a portion formed with an outwardly opening notch, the remaining peripheral sector of the notched portion of the spindle cam head being cylindrical and the portion of the spindle cam head beyond the notched portion being entirely cylindrical and merging with the cylindrical peripheral sector of the notched portion, an operating lever, a pivotal connection between the operating lever and the bolt, the operating lever including an arm extending above the spindle and having a cam follower tongue depending towards the spindle cam head, the spindle cam head notch cam head when the bolt is in its extended locking position furthermost away from the spindle, the cam follower tongue being arranged to drop into the spindle cam head notch after alignment of the cam head notch and the cam tongue and translatory displacement of the spindle, intermediate stop means interposed and operative between the spindle cam head and the bolt, and the intermediate stop means including a cylindrical cam, means mounting the cylindrical cam for rotation about an axis parallel to the longitudinal axis of the spindle, the cylindrical cam having a cam slot formed therein, and a cam i'ollower pin extending from the mounting means into the cam slot, and an actuating member and 12 a stopmember each extending radially from the cylindrical cam, the actuating member interfitting with the spindle cam head and being movable thereby and the stop member being located between the bolt and the spindle, the stop member being movable to and from a stopping position with respect to the bolt by movements of the actuating member.

HERBERT C. BEHRENS.

References Cited in the file 01' this patent v UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

